Lubricator



(No Model.)

L. J. PHELPS. LUBRIGATOR.

No. 424,350. Patented Mar. 25, 1890..

N. PETERS, Phomulho n lmr, Wumin mn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

LUOIUS J. PHELPS, OF PASSAIO, NEWV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO DIOKSON D. MAOMULLEN, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,350, dated March 25, 1890. Application filed January 21, 1890. Serial No. 337,620. (No model.)

To ail whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUCIU's J. PHELPS, of Passaic, county of Passaic, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, generically, to lubricators, and specifically to that class of lubricators adapted and employed for lubricating the journals of railway-car aXles, although it may be applied to other large bearingsurfaces, especially in instances where the waste or loss of oil is liable to occur from the j olting or from other disturbances of the rotating parts.

The object of my present invention is to provide a more convenient and economical device for lubricating journals; and it consists of a modification and improvement on the construction disclosed and claimedin United States Letters Patent No. 308,774, granted to Dixon D. MacMullen, of Brooklyn, New York, August 23, 1887.

In the construction disclosed in the abovementioned patent an oil-feeding device consisting of a wick extending downwardly into the' oil-chamber and upwardly to the lower surface of the j ournahwhereby the oil or other lubricating material is automatically and constantly fed thereto, thereby supplying the bearing-surfaces with a sufficient quantity of oil and preventing unnecessary waste of the valuable lubricating material, is shown.

The present improvements have been designed to obviate any possible waste of oil which might occur in the use of the device disclosed in the aforementioned. patent.

' In the first place, to prevent an overfeeding of the lubricating material, I reduce the area of the surface of contactbetween the wick and the journal, and to prevent the wick from being forced from its position I support it independently of the oil-reservoir upon spiral and helical springs, so that it will automatically return to its normal and proper position if momentarily displaced.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure I represents a longitudinal section of the j ournal-box of a car axle journal with my invent-ion applied; and Fig. II represents a de tail View, to a larger scale, of the wicking c011- trivance.

In the drawings, A represents the journalboX of a car-axle lubricator; I3, the usual hinged cap thereof.

0 represents the journal of the axle G.

E represents the pan or reservoir for holding the oil or lubricating material F. This pan or reservoir is provided with overhanging lips or rims D,so that the oil in dripping from the journal will feed back into the pan or reservoir. An opening II is provided for refilling the pan or reservoir without necessitating the removal of it from the car-axle box, the operator having merely to lift the cap B and apply the nozzle of his oil-can to the opening H.

At J, I show a cover for the pan or reservoir. This cover is removable and can be lifted from the pan and removed from the car-axle box and withdrawn through the door B without disturbing the position of the oil-pan. At the back and inside of the pan are tracks K, on which the cover J travels when it is being replaced upon the pan. At L, also, are shown small tracks which guide the cover when itis first inserted. These same tracks provide means for the easy withdrawal of the cover.

At M is a handle or chain, by which the cover may be manipulated by the operator.

Centrally located are two or more wicks N, attached at their upper ends to the spiral and helical springs O, hereinbefore referred to, and

which constitute the wick holders or supports,

and which are adapted, as shown in Fig. I, to hold the upper ends of the Wicks against the lower surface of the journal of the car-axle, thus supplying a constant feed of the lubrieating material, into which the lower ends of the said wicks are adapted to extend to said bearing -surfaces. I provide additional retaining devices P, which connect the upper ends of the spring wick-holders to the cover of the pan, and which serve to retain the wickholders in their proper places-that is to say, centrally as regards the wick-opening Q in the oil-pan covers.

When the lubricatcr isin use, it assumes the position shown in Fig. I-that is to say,

the spring wick-holders containing the wicks are in an upright position and the tops of the lacking.

wicks are in constant contact with the journal-bearings. Then the pan cover is removed, the wick-supports assume the position shown in Fig. II.

At the upper end of the spring wick holders and supporters are small nuts R, which are provided on their interior surface with screw-threads. WVhen it is desired to raise or lower the wicks, they may be turned in the proper direction for their adjustment. Of course, instead of two wicks, I mayuse only one, or I may use three or more without departing from the spirit of my invention.

As above stated, the oil-pan cover can be easily removed without disturbing the oil-pan itself, and the latter can likewise be withdrawn through the opening in the car-axle box when desired. By this means, the pan and pan-cover being independently removable, many and obvious advantages obtain by reason of the employment of this particular lubrieator, which have been heretofore Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a lubricator, the combination of the removable oil-pan adapted to seat in a caraxle j ourn al-boX,an in dependcn tl y removablo cover therefor, and wicks mounted on springs independently of the oil pan, all arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a lubricator, the combination of the removable oil-pan adapted to seat in a car-axle journal-box, a cover therefor having openings for the reception of wicks, helical spring wicksupporters, and suitable wicks mounted therein, all arranged substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a lubricator for car-axle j ournal-boxes, the combination of the oil-containing pan or reservoir, the removable lid having the elaseither-the cover or pan can be removed without displacing or interfering with anypart of the journal-box or car-axle journal.

LUCIUS J. PHELPS. \Vitnesses:

GEORGE P. RUsT, DICKSON D. MACMULLEN. 

